Just three days prior to World Suicide Prevention Day today, this paper ran a report about a 13-year-old jumping to death from a seventh-floor balcony. The teenage girl from Thane took the extreme step because she had an argument with her mother over oiling her hair. The arguments were a regular feature in the household. The cops have stated that she may have been teased in school because of her oily hair, though that has not been conclusively proved.

It is shocking that the girl took her life over such a trifling matter. If there was any kind of bullying or teasing in her school, it calls for an inquiry. The incident also calls for teaching children the value of life, and putting an immediate premium on life. Today, we see youngsters committing suicide because they were denied a cell phone, upbraided for watching a movie instead of studying, or other equally trivial reasons.